When you're 16 years old, sex is a mystery: it's forbidden, intoxicating, bewildering.
For Steven (Silverstone), the gangly British lad in Get Real, it's all the more perplexing
because he's gay, a troubling secret shared only with his best friend and the anonymous
men he picks up in public restrooms. When an improbable romance develops between
Steven and a handsome school jock, John (Gorton), he couldn't be happier, except
for one thing: John is petrified of his own sexuality. And so, Get Real recounts
the rocky road that Steven must travel before coming to terms with the inescapable
realization that it is better to live the truth than to live a lie. Like the similarly
themed Beautiful Thing (or even less so, Maurice) of a few years back, Get Real evokes
the trauma of adolescent angst as a bittersweet experience, both confusing and exhilarating.
(The rhythm of this movie effortlessly captures these conflicting emotions.) Whether
gay, straight, or somewhere in between, it's a tough time for everyone -- even the
upperclassman who bullies Steven relentlessly is tortured in his own way. Yet, Get
Real is full of rich humor in its observations of teenage rituals. At a school social
function, Steven and John slow-dance with their female dates, all the while gazing
intently into the other's eyes; the punchline to this scene is by far the film's
funniest moment. While the character of John is not as fully realized as you would
hope -- he seems too comfortable with Steven in their private moments, if he's as
closeted as the film would lead you to believe -- the fullness of Steven's character
more than compensates. As portrayed by the engaging Ben Silverstone, he's a gawky
duckling on the verge of becoming a beautiful swan. His wide smile, protruding Adam's
apple, and good-natured demeanor make him instantly likable. The film's climactic
scene, in which Steven comes out in a very public way, is dramatically forced, but
nevertheless effective because Silverstone has won our empathy early on. Even at
its most contrived, however, this British film is notches above Hollywood's current
teen flicks, which seem to aim more for demographics rather than people. Can you
imagine a movie, such as this one, coming from a major American studio? Get real.